How to Wrap an Afghan Turban

Megan ShoopUpdated November 21, 2016

According to the culture of Afghanistan, men's turbans come in a variety of colours and styles. Though many modern Afghan men wear Westernized clothing, traditional turbans remain popular. Some men wear them all the time, while others wear them only at formal events. Whether you're visiting Afghanistan and want to blend in or simply want to learn about the culture, you'll need to know how to wrap a turban. This takes some time and practice, but anyone can do it.

Put on the turban cap. It should fit your head snugly. These caps are close-fitting, cotton hats without ornamentation or brims. They keep your hair from getting tangled in the turban and help the turban stay neat.

Grip the corners of one of the short ends of the turban cloth fabric. Fold the fabric in half vertically four times, reducing the width from a yard to about 4 inches.

Fold over a 1-inch-wide section of one of the long edges of the turban fabric, creating very neat edge.

Press one short edge of the turban cloth against the lower right side of the nape of your neck. Bring the cloth up and to the left over your head, then across your forehead to the right.

Wrap the cloth around the back of your neck from right to left, bringing it up and across your forehead to the right. The cloth should make a very wide X on your forehead.

Continue wrapping the cloth down and to the right, across the back of your neck, and up and to the right. Position each layer so it leaves about 1 inch of the layer underneath showing. This creates the layered turban effect.

Tuck the last layer of turban cloth into the other layers at the top of your head. You'll see part of the turban cap still showing at the crown of your head.

Carefully untuck the very first layer of cloth you wrapped around your head. You'll know you're pulling on the right piece because the flap of cloth at the nape of your neck will pull up and out.

Unfold the loosened section of cloth into a flat layer. Tuck the edges of the unfolded cloth into the edges of the opening at the top of your turban.